Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe
From Sega Retro
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Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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System(s): Sega Game Gear | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Publisher: Sega | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Developer: Sega CS2, Aspect | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distributor: Tec Toy (BR) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Genre: RPG[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Series: Golden Axe series | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of players: 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Official in-game languages: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe (アックスバトラー ゴールデンアックス伝説), known in Brazil as simply Golden Axe, is a Sega Game Gear platform role-playing game developed by Aspect and published by Sega. It was first released in Japan in November 1991.[1]
The game is a sequel to the Sega Master System action role-playing game Golden Axe Warrior. Similar to how that game is highly derivative of the popular 1986 game The Legend of Zelda, Ax Battler derives its design from that game's sequel, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.
Contents
Story
Death Adder is laying siege to the entire world. He steals the Golden Axe, a magical weapon that grants its wielder unimaginable power, from its hiding place in Firewood Castle. To prevent Death Adder using its powers to destroy the world, the King of Firewood Castle calls upon the help of his strongest warrior: Ax Battler.
Gameplay
The game consists of overhead RPG segments exploring an overworld and towns interspersed with side-scrolling battles and stages.
As the player traverses the overworld, enemies randomly attack, prompting the game to switch to a side-scrolling battle scene. Ax Battler must defeat the enemy by striking it or using magic abilities until the enemy runs out of hit points. If Ax Battler is hit by the enemy, he loses a hit point and the encounter ends; if he defeats the enemy, he collects magic vases, which are the game's currency.
The player can find and enter towns from the overworld. Towns usually contain an inn where Ax Battler can rest and replenish his health for a fee, a training house where Ax Battler can learn a new ability if he wins a battle, and a password house where the player can receive a password for continuing the game at a later time. The player can talk to NPCs that sometimes provide hints. The overworld also contains special landmarks, which are side-scrolling platforming stages that the player must complete to collect an item to advance or to travel to a new location.
In the overworld, the player can move Ax Battler with the D-Pad. The player can invoke a menu with (or dismiss the menu with ) to talk with NPCs, use an item, or search the area. The player can open a status screen with START that shows Ax Battler's health, the amount of vases collected, and the special attacks learned. The player can also choose a magic technique from this screen.
In the side-scrolling action scenes, Ax Battler moves with and and crouches with . He jumps with . He attacks with , which can be done while crouching or jumping. He can use a magic technique with START (when standing on the ground).
Health for both Ax Battler and his foe (in a battle scene) is indicated by rectangles at the bottom of the screen. An orange rectangle represents one hit point and a blue rectangle represents two hit points. Ax Battler has a maximum of six hit points. If he loses all of them, he is defeated and revives in the password house of the last town visited; the player can choose to continue the game if desired. Though Ax Battler retains the special attacks he has learned and the items he has collected, he loses all of his vases after continuing.
Town
House | |
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Houses contain NPCs, who sometimes provide hints on how to proceed if Ax Battler talks to them. | |
Inn | |
Ax Battler can rest at an inn to restore his hit points for a fee. | |
Password House | |
The player can receive a password here that can be used to continue the game at a later time. | |
Training House | |
Ax Battler can fight a battle here that teaches him a new ability if he wins. |
Magic abilities
Magic abilities are all initially available and can be selected through the status screen from the overworld.
- Earth: Does 1 hit point of damage. Costs 2 vases.
- Thunder: Does 2 hit points of damage. Costs 4 vases.
- Fire: Does 4 hit points of damage. Costs 8 vases.
Special attacks
Ax Battler learns special attack skills from training houses in each town. These abilities work in both the battle sequences and the platforming stages. Some abilities are necessary to learn in order to complete the game.
- High Jump: An extra high jump performed with +.
- Upper Swing: An upward sword swing performed with + that does twice as much damage as a standard attack.
- Jump Swing: A downward cut performed with + in midair that does twice as much damage as a standard attack.
- Super Swing: A semicircular sword slice performed with + while standing.
- Run and Tackle: Ax Battler can now run with or and then tackle an enemy with while running. This ability can also destroy some objects.
- Jump Attack: A downward jab performed with + in midair that does twice as much damage as a standard attack.
Items
Items are usually necessary to progress.
- Bomb: Levels mountains on the overworld. Found in the Spooky Cave.
- Crystal: Summons a giant turtle to ferry Ax Battler across the water. Found in the Peninsula Tower.
- Key: Found in the Death Pyramid.
- Compass: Given to Ax Battler by a wounded soldier in the Holmstock town.
- Fruit: Found by inspecting a tree to the west of the Maze Forest.
- Magic Stone: Found by inspecting a tile to the northwest of the North Valley town.
Special landmarks
These are action stages that appear in the overworld.
Spooky Cave | |
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Map: 1️⃣ | |
Peninsula Tower | |
Map: 1️⃣ | |
Turtle's Back | |
Map: 1️⃣ | |
Death Pyramid | |
Map: 1️⃣ | |
Evil Cave | |
Map: 1️⃣ | |
Maze Wood | |
Map: 1️⃣ | |
Gayn Mountain | |
Map: 1️⃣ | |
Eagle's Back | |
Map: 1️⃣ | |
Ice Cliffs | |
Map: 1️⃣ | |
Death Adder's Castle | |
Map: 1️⃣ | |
History
During development, the game was known under the working title of simply Golden Axe.[10] Ultimately, only the game's Brazilian release would retain this original name.
Versions
Localised names
Language | Localised Name | English Translation |
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English | Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe | Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe |
English (US) | Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe | Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe |
Japanese | アックスバトラー ゴールデンアックス伝説 | Ax Battler: Golden Axe Densetsu |
Portuguese (Brazil) | Golden Axe |
Production credits
- Japanese cover artist: Jun Satoh
- Japanese manual artist: Sega Consumer Design Development Dept. (Mari Koizumi[12])
- Western cover artist: Julie Bell
Magazine articles
- Main article: Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
Artwork
Physical scans
Sega Retro Average | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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66 | |
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Based on 28 reviews |
Technical information
ROM dump status
System | Hash | Size | Build Date | Source | Comments | |||||||||
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256kB | 1991-08-23[38] | Cartridge (JP) | ||||||||||
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256kB | 1991-12-10[38] | Cartridge (US/EU) | ||||||||||
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256kB | 1991-10-08 | EPROM cartridge | Page |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://sega.jp/history/hard/gamegear/software.html (Wayback Machine: 2018-12-07 04:57)
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "March 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 154
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 GamePro, "May 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 76
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 VideoGames & Computer Entertainment, "May 1992" (US; 1992-0x-xx), page 54
- ↑ Computer Trade Weekly, "" (UK; 1992-04-27), page 17
- ↑ Computer Trade Weekly, "" (UK; 1992-04-27), page 17
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sega Pro, "June 1992" (UK; 1992-05-21), page 68
- ↑ Sega Power, "May 1992" (UK; 1992-04-02), page 45
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Supergame, "Julho 1992" (BR; 1992-07-xx), page 38
- ↑ https://www.smspower.org/forums/15531-UnreleasedMasterSystemGameWallball3D (Wayback Machine: 2021-06-13 03:13)
- ↑ File:Ax Battler GG credits.pdf
- ↑ https://vgdensetsu.net/2_MariKoizumi.html (Wayback Machine: 2024-04-08 10:57)
- ↑ Sega TV Game Genga Gallery, Graphic Sha, page 67
- ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "November 1991" (JP; 1991-10-08), page 39
- ↑ Consoles +, "Juillet/Août 1992" (FR; 1992-0x-xx), page 125
- ↑ Console XS, "June/July 1992" (UK; 1992-04-23), page 147
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "April 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 32
- ↑ Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 164
- ↑ Famitsu, "1991-11-01" (JP; 1991-10-18), page 39
- ↑ Games-X, "14th-20th November 1991" (UK; 1991-11-14), page 35
- ↑ Game Zone, "January 1992" (UK; 1991-12-18), page 57
- ↑ Hippon Super, "November 1991" (JP; 1991-10-04), page 91
- ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Mayo 1992" (ES; 1992-0x-xx), page 76
- ↑ Joypad, "Janvier 1992" (FR; 1991-12-1x), page 106
- ↑ Joystick, "Décembre 1991" (FR; 1991-1x-xx), page 163
- ↑ Mega Force, "Mai 1992" (FR; 1992-05-05), page 72
- ↑ Micromanía (segunda época), "Junio 1992" (ES; 1992-0x-xx), page 79
- ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "October 1992" (UK; 1992-09-xx), page 143
- ↑ Player One, "Mai 1992" (FR; 1992-05-10), page 108
- ↑ Play Time, "7/92" (DE; 1992-06-03), page 96
- ↑ Power Up!, "Saturday, May 02, 1992" (UK; 1992-05-02), page 1
- ↑ Power Play, "6/92" (DE; 1992-05-13), page 158
- ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 74
- ↑ Sega Force, "1/92" (SE; 1992-xx-xx), page 24
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 88
- ↑ Supersonic, "Mai/Juin 1992" (FR; 1992-xx-xx), page 24
- ↑ Zero, "July 1992" (UK; 1992-06-11), page 78
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe/Hidden content
Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe | |
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Main page | Comparisons | Maps | Hidden content | Magazine articles | Reception
Prototypes: 1991-10-08
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Golden Axe series of games | |
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Golden Axe (1989) | Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder (1992) | Golden Axe: The Duel (1994) | Golden Axe (slot machine) (2010) | |
Golden Axe (1989) | Golden Axe II (1991) | Golden Axe III (1993) | |
Golden Axe (1989) | Golden Axe Warrior (1991) | |
Golden Axe (1990) | |
Electronic Golden Axe (1990) | |
Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe (1991) | |
Golden Axe: The Duel (1995) | |
Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 5: Golden Axe (2003) | |
Golden Axe: Beast Rider (2008) | |
Golden Axe (2009) | Golden Axe (2017) | |
Sega Vintage Collection: Golden Axe (2012) | |
Golden Axed: A Cancelled Prototype (2020) | |
Golden Axe related media | |
(2016) | |
(1990) | (1992) | (2008) | (2008) |
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